1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fibrous konjak (a preparation made from the root of the konjak plant or Amorphophallus, a variety of taro or Colocasia antiquorum) that can be suitably used as a material of processed or a dietary food by itself. It also relates to a method of manufacturing such a fibrous konjak.
2. Background Art
Konjak is a preparation made from the root of the konjak plant or Amorphophallus and has been known, particularly in Japan, as a hardly digestible low caloric food that contains as two major ingredients other than water, glucomannan and calcium. It is produced by a process of mixing and kneading with lime (calcium hydroxide). Processed konjak is attracting attention as a healthy foodstuff because of the fact that glucomannan is a kind of dietary fiber and it is rich in calcium.
However, while the traditional method of cutting a block of konjak prepared from a kneaded and solidified mixture of konjak roots and lime into dices or appropriately sized pieces and cooking them according to a selected recipe may be good for preparing a food that can give rise to a unique and pleasant feeling in the mouth, as cherished by many Japanese people, it is not an appropriate way to effectively utilize the glucomannan as dietary fiber and calcium. Thus, efforts have been paid for processing konjak into forms that facilitate the use of konjak for processed and healthy foods.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-231045 discloses uniformly sized konjak chips prepared by pulverizing a block of kneaded and solidified mixture of powdered konjak roots and lime by means of a grindstone, boiling the pulverized konjak chips, washing and dehydrating the konjak chips. Since such chips are boiled and washed before packaging and therefore contains water to a large extent, they can easily become sour if kept at room temperature and need to be stored in the refrigerator. Additionally, the moisture contained in the chipped konjak can affect the final product in an unexpected way if it used with other materials and therefore it cannot be feasibly used for healthy foods. To the contrary, if the moisture content of the chipped konjak is lower than a specific level, it can become hard and poorly capable of absorbing water so as to make it unsuitable as a material of processed foods.